Neon Noir Designs

[Kamome442]

More Bus Mirrors

 

When I originally made up a the bus mirrors I did not expect them to ever sell, it turns out they not only sell they are one of my best selling etches.

I figured it was high time to offer some more variations. There are plenty to choose from the problem is I know very little about which bus carries which mirror. Information seems hard to come by, I have drawn up a few alternative designs although there seems to be plenty more that could be done.

 

These were drawn by using photos for reference, it is much harder to find photos of the drivers side mirrors ( I guess people don't want to stand in the middle of the road to take a picture). It will likely be a slow burn project and probably a lot of researching to get all the information I need. Ideally I need to find a bus fan site, if anyone knows of any, that cites the bus type and gives pictures from multiple angles. 

 

One Last Thing

 

I forgot to mention I received the new fences along with the stairs and rulers. There was however an issue with the design, some of the fences were missing. It looks like when I drew the design up there was hairline gaps between the fence and the frame. I decided to paint and use them for product photography. I will reorder them this month.

[Madsing]

Hi Joe,

Yes, please make more. I missed them last time.

I'm happy to share a few photos.

Coach's mirrors look very thick and may have to be 3d printed.

Marc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kamome442]

Cool thank you @Madsing, that will certainly be useful. 

I decided to look up a list of buses and search for each type by name. The first one I looked up is a Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Star (the first two pictures you posted I believe).

I figured it would help to draw a rough representation of each bus type. I figured that would make easier to choose the correct mirrors. This is what I have drawn up so far:

 

I still need to scale everything correctly and draw the mirrors on the front view. One thing I do notice from Madsing's pictures the mirrors I have drawn up match the second picture. The passenger side mirror on the first image is different. The two buses do look very slightly different so I am guessing they are different generations/variants. I am happy to one or two styles for each bus type.

They are both Toei buses so hopefully the mirrors are manufacturer supplied and not 3rd party parts added by each operator. If that is the case I dread to think how many combinations there could be!

[maihama eki]

I have a 1/80 kit of the Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Star that I haven't built. Since it is 1/80, it includes the mirrors. It is an Aoshima kit. Another reference point.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10664347

 

 

[Kamome442]

Thank you @maihama eki that will be a great help.

I have managed to to find sales catalogs for the Aero Star, Isuzu Erga (Madsing's 3rd to 6th photos, unless they are Hino Rainbows I can never tell them apart) and the Hino Poncho (7th to 10th pictures). They don't have much information about the mirrors but they do include technical drawings with accurate measurements so I can use that to work out the mirror dimensions.

I agree @Madsing the coach mirrors would look better 3D printed, It will take a lot testing to get the shape right where it connects to body. 

 

[Kamome442]

Just found this top down image:

 

Source: https://www.isuzu.co.jp/product/bus/ergaduo/

 

This is insanely useful along with the side and front views I have to visualise the size and shape of this mirror.

[cteno4]

I know there are a lot of bus otaku/enthusiasts in Japan so I imagine there are forums with subgroups focused on side mirrors! Just finding them is the trick.

 

jeff

[Kamome442]

20 hours ago, cteno4 said:

I know there are a lot of bus otaku/enthusiasts in Japan so I imagine there are forums with subgroups focused on side mirrors! Just finding them is the trick.

 

jeff

 

I am sure there must be, I wouldn't be surprised if people collect used mirrors. There are a groups that collect old roadsigns, manhole covers, traffic and street lights.

 

I have finished one set of mirrors for the Hino Poncho

 

I see the Kato model comes with mirrors that can be added, these are molded plastic and a little oversized compared to the spindly little mirrors most of these buses seem to have. The advantage is the model already has holes on the side to fit the mirror. I adjusted the arms to match the position holes using photos as a guide.

They are tiny but thankfully only need one 90 degree fold on each side.

[Kamome442]

Work on the next the next bus mirror. These are an older but I am struggling to work what make of bus they are on so for now I have placed them on the Erga model. 

 

Once I have worked out the bus type for these I will create some more accurate artwork.

[Kamome442]

A very helpful Bus Enthusiast contacted me to say these mirrors are used on Nishitetsu buses in Fukuoka they are made by a local coach works called Nishinippon Auto Body Industry. They seem to be very similar to Nissan Space Runners in design so maybe they are modifying those to suit running in Kyushu. It probably means very limited interest for an etch but I like the design so I will make them up anyway. 

 

 

I also ordered a Nishitetsu bus to stick them on 🫣 Oh no am I a bus person now?

[Kamome442]

Through the Looking Glass

 

I have finished the design for Egra and Rainbow buses. These will be the next design I release as they are used far and wide. I am confident with the design for the passenger side as it is very similar to the mirrors I made before. I was never happy with the design I came up with for the divers side so this time I have tried to simplify it as much as possible. I think the new design will be easier to make however I want to test it first so I will order a sample at the end of the month providing it works I will make them available.

 

Spot the difference

 

I have found a lot of small variations of the basic design while looking through pictures. I am happy to include these either as part of a single etch or as separate releases.

The 'standard' design (A) is the most common however some companies use a rectangular mirror instead of a circular one (B)on the passenger side:

 

This would easy to include on a single etch as the mirrors don't take up much room. Alternatively some companies use the coach style mirror on both sides (C) This would be harder to include on a single etch as you would end up with unused parts so maybe would be better as a separate option:

 

The final versions I found are for those who believe that 5 mirrors just isn't enough to decorate their bus. These are found on most Kawasaki City buses and at least one bus in Hokkaido, I am not sure of the company. These include an extra mirror as either an additional stalk on the main assembly (D) or as a separate bracket (E) mounted on the front of the bus:

 

I am not entire sure of the purpose of the additional mirror it would seem to be for checking the destination or for observing pretty clouds while waiting at stops?!  These might also benefit from their own etch if anyone is interested in creating a more unique design. (Tomytec is about to release a set of Kawasaki City buses)